Online Culture To Societal Influence — The Growing Trend Of “Girlblogging”
And its many complexities…
The Urban Dictionary defines a girl blogger as “a young female that owns an internet blog, in which she spreads very creative and cute content”. The diverse platforms available for blogs to flourish aren’t foreign to the public. What, then, makes this category stand apart as a sub-genre? When can it be traced back?
The idea of girlblogging, teenage bloggers, or fashion and lifestyle blogs gained momentum during the early 2000s.
Since the democratization of the internet, these blogs have served as a platform for girls or young women to share opinions regarding personal experiences, thoughts, and ideas alongside building collectivistic connections based on matters such as fashion, fitness, relationships, music, and art.
Quite like lifestyle blogs, they offer individuals to connect through these shared experiences and interests.
Additionally, with the introduction of microblogging platforms like Tumblr and X (formerly Twitter), exposure to the concept is gradually expanding. In the present-day context, it also lays focus on visually appealing content such as digital art, memes, etc.
To begin with, the idea of a “girlblog” is conformed to a highly specific and curated audience: not just any young woman but rather a “Lana Del Rey Die Coke Oat Milk Latte Heart Shaped Sunglasses Bell Jar Manic Pixie Dream Girl” who usually would name her blog along the lines of “bambieyedgrl333” or “ultraviolentangel99”.
Their internet personas are largely dependent on this hyper-feminine expression of self: a belief in the recovery of that form of femininity which societal norms mock and reduce them for. The same interests that said norms push them into.
In this manner, the art consumed by these girl bloggers also revolves around similar elements: the tortured sad girl trope, femcels, female rage, and the like.
More often than not, an encounter with a girlblog would involve an interest in pieces of literature such as Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” or Ottessa Moshfegh’s “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”, a parasocial relationship with celebrities like Lana Del Rey and Lily-Rose Depp, along with a tormenting nostalgia and over-romanticisation of anything mundanely poetic (bonus points if sad).
They benefit the target audience quite similarly to other blogs. Shared fascination towards similar opinions brings together a community of girls who find it difficult to interact over these interests in their daily lives.
Meticulously created mood boards, quotes in a distinct cursive font, and a kaleidoscope of other hyper-feminine aesthetics like the coquette and dollette all help forge a connection that transcends geographical connections, allowing them to elicit admiration and inspiration from their peers while exploring their own identities.
Using satirical and inoffensive imagery, the blogs often call out the diverse challenges of girlhood: eating disorders, beauty standards, mental health issues, misogyny, and the male gaze. Beyond shared interests, they share experiences that shape perceptions owing to their early exposure to the mediums.
Through a collaborative understanding of being ‘doomed by the narrative’ and wishing to ‘girlrot’, the community hinges on some or the other shared hopeless craving. Young women get to express rage unapologetically, an emotion they are taught is limited to their male counterparts.
I, too, find myself captivated by this camaraderie, as it leaves little room for the judgment or embarrassment of having to admit to these interests outside the internet.
Adding to the disarticulation-re-articulation theory of cultural studies, societal shifts often involve dismantling existing structures to construct newer social, political, and economic changes as replacements. Through their narratives and discussions, girl bloggers choose to reject the culture that caused them harm.
They aren’t forced to be alone in their emotions but rather get to re-articulate their femininity with a community that supports and validates them. In this manner, the digital space provides an empathetic environment, contributing to empowerment and defiance against norms.
However, this does not make up for the equal amount of discourse-building arguments that might emerge along the way. Amidst the considerable affiliation associated with the community, they end up being subservient to the very culture they aim to be subversive against.
Despite being safe spaces, the likes and dislikes of the community get narrowed down to fit its interests. Any defiance towards these interests is dismissed as an intrusion that needs to be shunned.
The ambiguity of their demographics reflects a certain ‘type’ of girl, making it difficult for other groups to feel acknowledged in the community. The content is so specific to the imagery and experiences of slim, white, cisgender women that any member who isn’t disposed to these ethnocentric finds themselves alienated.
This symbolic annihilation also doesn’t consider the idea of femininity carrying a different meaning based on interpersonal and cultural contexts. Although the pigeonholing of interests under the pretext of aesthetics weaves a cultural web, it also confines the content to an unequivocal audience.
In addition, the commodification of aesthetics pressurizes young girls to focus obsessively on inauthentic self-images that are- again, highly overpowered by ethnocentric ideals.
This homogenization of beauty standards pressurizes young girls to conform to feel accepted and valued. This also follows financial strain in response to the excessive promotion of consumerism promoted under blogs.
Addressing issues regarding the lack of intersectional diversity and inclusivity of representation is paramount to the diplomatic survival of these blogs.
Being digital pioneers, these bloggers carry the responsibility of not merely the present but also the future generation. It is essential to practice what one claims to preach. Therefore, the construction of an all-inclusive platform would help young girls to embrace their identities, pursue passions, and advocate justice.
Critical examination of the content shared over these blogs through media literacy, and prioritizing diversity would create a safe environment for all its members.
Challenging norms ought to be a collective proceeding. If existing blogs broaden their limited scope of interests and engage in intersectional dialogue, it will create a sense of security for the present minority audience while also making it convenient for their successors to have a transgressive outlook towards these communities.
Blogging has evolved over the years and will continue to do so and so too do the trends and memes within the platforms. Subsequently, the future lies in the hands of the generator and the audience. To truly harness its transformative potential, girlblogging should be open to a multi-culturally sensitive to change.
